If you were ever wondering what it's like to fly a high-speed PYLON plane, now is your opportunity to give it a try. Hanger 9 has introduced a (small) Giant Scale Formula 1 just for you. This is a practical and an in-expensive way for you to find out what Pylon Racing is all about.
Advertisement: The two-piece plug-in wing and stab make transporting this giant-scale aircraft a more compact process. A removable top hatch provides admittance to the plane's interior, and the servo hatch located at the rear of the plane provides access to the rudder and elevator servos. This ARF includes high-quality giant-scale hardware and aluminum wing tubes which provide extreme durability at low weight. Hangar 9 even outfits the Sundowner with a lightweight, painted pilot figure - complete with racing helmet. * * * * Make no mistake, this is a hot "sport plane" designed to go reasonably fast. It is not a good choice for beginners or people not having good low-wing experience. But, if you're ready for some high-speed go fast & turn left action, this aircraft will get you started. It supports a wide variety of engines. The prefered engine is the Evolution 35cc gasser that'll push the Sundowner to 120 MPH and higher. And then there's those that can't get enough speed so they resort to engines like a Moki 2.10 glow fuel, or DA-50's and other mammouth gasoline engines. Since there's been so much written about this aircraft I see no point in re-hashing what you've already read. I will however, show you my entry into the wild world of going fast & turning left. My Sundowner is mostly box-stock with the exception of pinned hinges and some added color to the scheme. My radio choice is a Spektrum 7 and Hitec digital servos. I also re-enforced the firewall to support my massive BME 50.
My favorite part of this project... stuffing a big engine in it! After a lot of thought and engine comparisons, I decided to go with a BME 50cc gas engine. They're a lot of 50cc engines available and I looked at them all! My first choice was a DA-50. It's light weight, and powerful. However, it lost out because of the required stand-off length. I also didn't like the rear carb for this application either. I studied and re-studied all the rest of the 50cc engines and decided on a BME 50. The BME 50 is also light weight, and it is just as powerful as a DA-50. However the BME has a short stand-off length and it's a rail mounted engine which is particularly well suited for this aircraft. I have owned many BME engines over the years and they are super reliable.
The stock Hangar 9 engine mounts fit the BME perfectly. In order to support this big engine, the stand-off box has been re-enforced with screws on top & bottom. I also installed an aluminum backplate for added firewall support. The factory recommended 5.75" distance from the firewall to the hub is perfect with this engine and mounts. You will find that a BME 50 actually weighs 2 ounces LIGHTER than the recommended Evolution 35cc engine! So the aircraft won't get added weight from the added size. This is a potent engine cranking out 5.0 horsepower and will sling some big props. But for this application I will use a Biela 18x12 carbon fiber prop.
Here you see the simple and reliable throttle setup. It's a straight line to the throttle servo which I located inside the fuselage. Hangar 9 did an excellent job with this aircraft. It was well though out, well manufactured, and excellent Quality Control. As ARF's go, this is the best I've built yet.
It was a tight fit as the BME 50 takes up some room.
I also added more screws for the cowling mount.
13 POUNDS, 11 OUNCES |
